49 Monroe

Out of the way and deliberately hard to contact (no phone, website or Facebook page), 49 Monroe is worth the trouble. This Lower East Side venue, from the owners of the nearby Kiki’s and Forgetmenot, is a maze of leafy plants enclosing dark wood picnic tables. The Mediterranean menu, on the other hand, is straightforward: French onion soup, steamed mussels in white wine sauce, fried calamari, meat and cheese platters, truffle fries, classic Italian meatballs. Prices are fairly low, which reflects the as-yet-ungentrified real estate under the Manhattan Bridge. Weekend nights can feel clubby, but otherwise it’s family- and kid-friendly.

Out of the way and deliberately hard to contact (no phone, website or Facebook page), 49 Monroe is worth the trouble. This Lower East Side venue, from the owners of the nearby Kiki’s and Forgetmenot, is a maze of leafy plants enclosing dark wood picnic tables. The Mediterranean menu, on the other hand, is straightforward: French onion soup, steamed mussels in white wine sauce, fried calamari, meat and cheese platters, truffle fries, classic Italian meatballs. Prices are fairly low, which reflects the as-yet-ungentrified real estate under the Manhattan Bridge. Weekend nights can feel clubby, but otherwise it’s family- and kid-friendly.